Holtz Realty

The Most Fake News

It was definitely a Monday morning with all the phone calls and drop-ins. Since most of my appointments were in the afternoon, I had planned for an easy morning where I could get some other things done, but that wasn’t the case.

There happened to be a gentleman from the Des Moines area who arrived without notice, and the reason for his visit was that I’d been referred to him by a person who deals with rental properties.

He came with a lengthy list of homes in lower price ranges and wanting additional information regarding them. I looked some of them up for him since they were listed with other agencies, and by the time we finished going over them, he decided on the path of renting something here in our City before buying because of his unfamiliarity with our neighborhoods.

I discovered he’d lived here up until the mid1960’s, and then moved to the Des Moines area with his parents. I was once again reminded how much our cityscape has changed since he moved away because he named numerous buildings and businesses that are no longer in existence. I was also quick to remind him that some of the neighborhoods he was familiar with in those years have also greatly changed.

In some respects we should be thankful we’re not living in the Des Moines metro area because it sounds like their housing prices and rents are going thru the ceiling. His rent is so high that his social security isn’t enough to cover his monthly expenses, so he had to find a part-time job to make ends meet. Now that’s a scary thought isn’t it?

We had another closing on Prairie Place on 1st this afternoon which went very well. Having become acquainted with the buyers, I’d say they’ll also be a great addition to that wonderful retirement community. After tomorrow’s closing, there’ll be only five (2) bedroom units and two (1) bedroom units remaining to be sold.

If there’d be one or two threads of similarity with all those current owners, is that they wanted to have themselves living in a place where there’d be no worries over what would happen in they loose their spouses and be faced with making a housing transition on their own. For the single owners, I’d say they their main reason was to have worry-free living in a place where they could have regular close contact with people of similar ages.

What continues to amaze me, is how quickly those Prairie Place newbies get themselves adjusted to their new living arrangements. What I believe helps the most is how much more the new ones are greeted with open arms. I also think having their community coffee time every Monday morning, offers a great opportunity to get acquainted with all the others.

My last appointment today was at a home which sold about two or three years ago, and from what I could see, the current owner had done minimal updates on it, yet the difference between what was paid at the time, and what the asking price is now, I’d say someone is looking to make a quick buck. I think someone needs to remind our sellers that we’re not living in a metro area where the housing prices are skyrocketing.

I had to laugh today when someone was telling me about how angry one of the homeowner’s in our City was regarding the Globe Gazette placing a picture of his home on their front page. When I happened to see that photo of it at a newsstand, I knew that owner was going to be livid when seeing it because of being fully aware that he’s a brick contractor and is slowly converting the exterior of his home to brick. I can only imagine the assumptions our general public was making about that house and him when seeing it. I fully understand why he was livid. I’d classify that as another example of “fake news”. I’m now beginning to wonder if newspapers get awarded for the most fake news they put to print over a year’s time.

Tonight’s one-liner is: When fake news is repeated, it’s difficult for the general public to discern what’s real.

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